Catawba Knocked Out Of NCAA Baseball Southeast Regional

MOUNT OLIVE, NC -- The Catawba baseball team saw its season come to an end with an extra-inning loss to ninth-ranked Francis Marion on Saturday afternoon at Scarborough Field in the NCAA II Southeast Regional Tournament. The Catawba Indians (41-15) fell 9-7 in 11 innings to the second-seeded Patriots in a rematch of the tourney opener for both teams. FMU (39-15) advances to face UNC Pembroke on Saturday night to see who moves on to Sunday's final. That winner will need to win twice against Mount Olive on Sunday to advance to the national finals.

Catawba, seeded fifth and ranked 19th in NCAA II, battled back late once again against Francis Marion to send the game into extra frames. As in Thursday's contest, Brett Underwood (Greensboro, NC/SW Guilford HS) was able to produce a game-tying two-out hit in the ninth. Unfortunately, it would be the Patriots who would score in the 11th to take the victory.

With the game tied at 4-4 in the eighth, FMU took advantage of a two-out error to take a 7-4 lead. Martin Gordon was able to plate Buddy Sosnoski on a misplayed grounder to give the Patriots a 5-4 edge. Tyler Boyd followed with a RBI double and Tyler Cappelman added a RBI single to push the margin to 7-4.

Catawba would rally back. Garrett Furr (Gold Hill, NC/Mt. Pleasant HS) doubled home Ryan Bostian (Kannapolis, NC/S. Rowan HS/Montreat) with a two-outs in the eighth then the Indians struck to tie the game in the ninth.

Chris Dula (Troutman, NC/S. Iredell HS) tripled with one out in the final inning and scored on a single by Keaton Hawks (Lexington, NC/E. Davidson HS). Pinch-hitter Jordan Kuhn (Lewis Center, OH/Olentagny HS) was able to draw a walk, as did Bostian with two outs. Underwood chopped a ball up the middle that JJ Williams was able to stop, but had no play and Hawks scored the tying run. On the play, Blake Houston (Mt. Ulla, NC/S. Rowan HS) was erased at the plate as he tried to score.

After a scoreless tenth, the Patriots pushed across the winning runs in the 11th. Brian Paulhus drew a two-out walk and Michael Wilson singled. Brooks Arnette singled to center to plate the go-ahead run and Sosnoski followed with a single to pad the lead. Catawba got the tying run to the plate, but Jarrott Hooks got Bostian on a ground out to end the contest.

FMU scored twice in the first to go up early. Furr erased the deficit with a two-run homer in the third as the Indians went up 3-2. The Patriots tied the game on a home run by John Jones in the fourth. Catawba went back on top in the fifth on a two-out double by Brett Holmgren, but again a solo home run tied the game. The second time it was Preston Shuey in the sixth that pulled the Patriots even.

Catawba banged out 16 hits, but left 15 runners on base and had four more erased on the bases. The Indians left the bases loaded in the second and third frames and ran themselves out of a potential big fifth inning. Catawba started the fifth with four straight hits, but got only one run out of the inning as a pair of runners were erased on the base paths.

Hawks and Underwood led the Indians at the plate as both collected four hits. Dula added three with Furr and Josh Hohn (Greensboro, NC/S. Guilford HS/North Greenville) delivered two each. Sosnoski collected four hits for FMU with Wilson, Arnette and Shuey picking up two apiece.